Barefoot - Have decided to go for it!!

Sarah-B

Sarah-B

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Oct 8, 2005
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You may remember I was umming and ahhing about whether to go barefoot with TC this spring. I was worried that if I did do it I would potentially not be able to ride for the whole summer.

I knew I ultimately wanted TC to be barefoot (particularly as he is arthritic) but it was a case of whether I do it now when our relationship and bond is growing or next srping when we know each other better.

My friend C went barefoot 3 weeks ago with her TB X and he is doing really well which has given me lots more confidence, the other thing that helped me with the decision is that TC has lost a shoe.

Also, TC is almost 16 so I guess at his age the sooner he is out of shoes the better?

So, I sheepishly rang my farrier and he was lovely, I explained I wanted to try barefoot and he said he would be happy to be our farrier in the future if it didn't work out. So he's coming on Friday to remove TC's shoes and then the EP that does my pony and C's horse is due in two weeks-ish.

So I am nervous and excited!! I have to Cleantrax TC's hooves after we have seen the EP which is a bit scary (don't know why but I find the idea of Cleantraxing a bit overwhelming!!)

Now have to persuade DH to let me order some Boa Boots :eek: :rolleyes:
 
Good luck with the transition. If it works for him, the benifits are huge.

Bear in mind that the boa boots only go up to a certain size (17cm I think), which if too small for some large draft feet.
 
my cob had huge feet, as soon as you get his shoes off, hand walk him on every surface you can find, it will harden his feet up no end and help to transition him. my cobs feet are almost half the size of what they were when he was pasture trimmed years ago before he was shod, they are so tiny now (hes been barefoot for 4 months, totally sound on all surfaces including stones and his feet are small enough for boots now, but i dont need them:D )
 
Pink's Lady - I have measured TC's feet and at present (with shoes) he should fit in the second to biggest Boa Boot (size 7 I think). His hooves measure 6 3/4" x 6 7/8", considering the size of him his feet aren't that big.

No Angel - That's very encouraging, lets hope TC takes to it so well!!
 
be carefull with measuring with shoes on, the feet will expand when the shoes come off, i measured amber for some boots when she was shod, got the boots, took her shoes off and feet were too big:rolleyes: luckily maddie fits into one of them so i bought another of the same size (amber had different sized feet)
 
Hi,

I was wondering if you could help me? I have an irish x welsh cob who is currently only shod in his fronts. I was wondering if you think that it would be ok for him to go barefoot? His feet hardley crack at all and are really hard?

Any suggestions would be great
 
Don't automatically buy boots as your horse may not need them. My 17.2hh has done about 6 weeks now and all is well and the trimmer really impressesed. What's this cleantrax as I was given no orders to do Gordo??? Access to different surfaces is the key and it takes more attention as when they are shod. Always cleaning out to avoid stones getting in white line!:rolleyes:
 
Good luck! Clean trax isn't as bad as it sounds. I was dreading it then fatty just calmly stood around in her 'wellies' eating carrots and throwing a wheelbarrow full of straw around :D Does he have white line disease or bad thrush or are you doing clean trax just to make sure there's no infection lurking?

I was wondering if you could help me? I have an irish x welsh cob who is currently only shod in his fronts. I was wondering if you think that it would be ok for him to go barefoot? His feet hardley crack at all and are really hard?
Click to expand...

Hard feet that don't crack are a good sign but you really need someone to look at the actual feet to tell you how easy it would be to go barefoot. Most horses can do it, maybe with hoof boots if needed, but it's not always easy.
 
If he can manage 2 hours of road work and not be sore at all then that is not a horse that needs shoes! Would be a good plan to have some boots in case you need them if you plan to do any really long rides though.
 
I tried going barefoot with the hinds only on my horse,he was fine to start with but then started to get sore and kept wanting to walk on the grass verges whilst out hacking.I couldnt cope with seeing him like that although my farrier did say he would get worse before he got better.So ive gone back to shoes again and he seems a lot happier now, good luck with your horse i hope it works out well for you both.
 
Good luck and don't panic if he gets a bit footy or sore. Most horses need to transition but they'll generally be better off for it in the long run. You need to be patient and not try to do too much too soon.

It's a very good move and I'm sure that you'll see the benefits. There is no way that I would want to go back to shoes or a farrier trim now, I hope that the situation never arises (though I can't see why it should).

Good luck and don't forget that there's a whole support network out there for you when times get rough :)

You've made an excellent decision and your horse will be better off for it in the long run :D
 
Thanks for the replies and support!!

gordo said:
What's this cleantrax as I was given no orders to do Gordo???
Click to expand...

CleanTrax gets rid of infections - their description:

CleanTrax is a deep penetrating hoof cleanser proven effective in eliminating even the toughest infections, in most case with just a single application

You only really need to use it if your horse has an infection to treat (although it can be used as a preventative) - TC has quite bad white line disease that needs sorting when his shoes come off.
 
Your braver than me sarah ;) I could only go for backs this time, my farrier too was very supportive to take her backs off. He said, "Any problems, just give me a call". So I'm pleased.

I'm hoping Stumpy and I will gradually make the crossover to completly barefoot but all in good time, all in good time ;)

Sarah, I'm pleased you came to a decision you, your farrier and TC (hopefully) will be happiest with :D
 
Almost all my natives have gone barefoot. Although my last little Exmoor had to have fronts on!
 
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